


MIWALISA: Our Story

by Porcupixel



Category: Haikyuu!!, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Crossover, F/F, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, Ice Skater Alisa, Ice Skating, Mentioned Ships - Freeform, Post-Time Skip, Romance, Slow Burn, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28805853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Porcupixel/pseuds/Porcupixel
Summary: Who brings their favorite hairstylist to Russia on an ice skating competition with them? Alisa Haiba does. What's more, the hairstylist in question is in love with her.
Relationships: Haiba Alisa/Kageyama Miwa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My soul was consumed by miwalisa and this is the result. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you Suo2 and MoonLitFranx for beta reading! ily two <3  
> Edit: I should've done my research while writing this chapter, but it looks like I made a mistake with the number of programs! There are three programs in international figure skating competitions, but I listed only two here. I have edited this chapter after I found that out. Sorry for the confusion!

The girl was a picture; slender limbs, sharp features, callipygian figure. It was as though God himself spent careful hours on this one. Her hair was grey like clouds softly illuminated by the moon, her sea-green eyes akin to budding leaves in spring, and her lips... Perfectly bow-shaped, naturally dyed in crimson hues, and permanently curled into a smile more delicate than the morning dew, more elegant than greek statues. Her fragrance was of flowers in full bloom, like fields upon fields of lavender mixed with rose.

I fell in love with everything that she was the moment she laid eyes on her.

Alisa Haiba came into my life like any ordinary customer I had. She scheduled an appointment, I booked her on a Thursday afternoon, she liked my services, and she became a regular. There was never a dull moment in the salon when she was there. We realized we had a lot in common so we’d be talking through the hours it took to style her hair. Though I’d told her that it didn’t even need styling anymore. It was beautiful as is. Just as she was. The latter would remain unspoken. Still, she insisted that I style it.

I didn’t recognize Alisa at first. To me, she was just one of my beloved customers. Until Tobio pointed out that she happened to be the older sister to their opponent from Nekoma High in Tokyo, who was also the nation’s husband of the modeling industry.

Alisa also happened to be a world-famous figure skater with seven years’ worth of professional experience and two Olympic medals.

“I just didn’t want anyone to fuss over me,” she said when I finally pointed it out. I decided to mention it during a rather slow day at the salon since I figured she probably didn’t want the other customers suddenly knowing she was a celebrity of sorts.

She added, “When I first came to your salon, I tried my best to wear a disguise because I thought someone would recognize me!”

Alisa’s first visit was memorable, and not just because it was the day I thought a goddess had entered my salon. She was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and heavy coat, though it was only mid-September, and she sat at the farthest part of the salon. I remember her looking around cautiously, like she was a celebrity watching out for paparazzi. At the time, she spoke with a hushed voice and didn’t even speak that much in general. But, the next thing we knew, she was chit-chatting with everyone at the salon. She provided the women with celebrity gossip, gave the younger girls some hair care tips, and went along with the jokes of my much older customers. Alisa loved everyone, and everyone loved Alisa.

Meanwhile, I didn’t even realize that I was already falling for her.

When I did realize my feelings though, I’d come to terms that I might just have to relish in our Thursday hair appointments for as long as I know her. It wasn’t like I could ask her out. I didn’t even know if she was in a relationship or anything of the sort. Besides, we’ve become really good friends since we first met.

That’s what I thought up until one day, after I finished her hair treatment, she handed me a plane ticket along with her payment.

Some customers would offer me fruits and stuff as gifts, but no one has offered plane tickets to Russia. “What’s this for,” I asked.

Alisa laughed her usual sweet laugh. It rang like music in my ears. “Isn’t it obvious?” She exclaimed, “I’m inviting you to come with me to the World Championships! My uncle said I could bring one friend with me since Lyovochka can’t come.”

No, that was not obvious.

“But—”

“All expenses paid! All you have to do is come and enjoy the experience!” She paused, her face donning the cutest expression ever. With her eyes wide, looking upward, and her mouth agape, shaped into a small circle. “Oh, and have fun with me, of course!”

I looked back at the ticket in my hand. This was my chance. Alisa was inviting me to go with her on a trip, or contest to be specific. Along the way, maybe I could confess my feelings…

No, Miwa. You’re a grown adult with a salon to run! You can’t just run off onto a fairytale-like trip with the woman who’s most certainly the love of your life and you might never have the chance to confess to again!

A gentle poke on my shoulder abruptly snapped me out of my thoughts. Behind me, my apprentice, Terushima Yuuji, was grinning ear-to-ear.

“Go on, boss! You deserve it,” he says. He’s accompanied by nods from our customers and some approving murmurs. Yuuji adds, “It’s not every day you get a customer who offers you an all-expenses-paid trip to Russia! Am I right, Ms. Haiba?”

Alisa chuckles and nods.

I’m still not convinced though. “You’re right but, the salon—”

“I can handle the salon! I’ve apprenticing for you for, like, a year and a half now! I can totally run this place by myself!”

I couldn’t help but feel proud of those words. Putting the subject aside, Yuuji had grown from this stubborn and laidback apprentice to a reliable and skilled one since he began working for me. I’d never left him to run the salon alone, and that was probably the only thing I haven’t tasked him to do during the apprenticeship.

I look back at Alisa. Those big green eyes did all the talking at that particular moment. How could I say no to her?

As I sigh in defeat, the entire salon bursts in excitement.

I didn’t expect Alisa to hug me as tightly as she did. Her arms wrapped around me almost instantly after I accepted her invitation. I swear I felt an extra squeeze before she let go.

But, I didn’t want her to let go so quickly.

She always hugged me before she would leave the salon. A few times, she had even given Yuuji a hug. She was sweet like that. God, just remembering those moments made my heart pound in my ears. She really loved everyone.

I just hope she loved me more. Even by just a bit.

Alisa left the salon with a spring in her step, waving goodbye as she walked out of the door. Then, everything in the salon went back to normal. It took me a few minutes to realize that I had forgotten to ask her when the flight was. I look at the ticket and…

“IT’S TOMORROW?!”

I barely had enough time to pack. But, Alisa was kind enough to video chat me as I did. She told me to pack two weeks’ worth of clothes. The most I’ve packed for was the 5-day stay in Italy when Tobio invited me to his first official match for Ali Roma. For this trip, I was stuffing almost my entire wardrobe into two giant suitcases.

Alisa kept talking the entire time I was rushing around my room. At first, she apologized, saying that maybe she shouldn’t have surprised me like that. I told her I didn’t mind it, and that I was honored for her to even pick me. After we settled that, she started talking about the stuff that would happen during the trip.

“We’ll be staying at this grand, 5-star hotel in Moscow, Russia! That’s where my uncle and his husband are living right now, but not exactly in Moscow. Anyway, the hotel has this really fast dry cleaning service. It’s so fast you can send them a bunch of laundry in the morning and you’ll get your clothes just after dinner! So, you probably don’t have to worry about bringing a lot of pajamas. Oh, and they have this amazing spa and a pool and…”

I couldn’t process half of what she was saying. Her voice was so soothing I was just lost in it. It helped that she was such a talkative person with a bubbly personality. Normally, I would have been done packing in less than an hour, but I didn’t want to end the call with Alisa. So, I stalled as much as I could.

I began packing around 6 PM and finished around 10:30.

Finally, I couldn’t stall anymore. Let’s just say that I ran out of excuses.

I zipped up the second large suitcase and pushed it to one side of my room. “I think that’s all of it,” I said, “I’m sorry I had you to stay up with me this late.”

She waved her hands dismissively. “Anything to help you, Miwa!”

Did she have to phrase it like _that_? Maybe it was my sleepiness that made me lose some control over my emotions, but I was blushing a lot more easily than I normally do.

“But, it is getting late,” she said. “Oh, by the way, do you want me to pick you up?”

I felt a warmth growing in my face. If I was blushing, Alisa was kind enough not to point it out. “No need,” I answer, “Let’s just meet at the airport. The flight leaves at nine in the morning, right? We should meet at seven then.”

She nods, giving me a closed-eye grin.“That’s perfect!”

“Well, good night, then, Alisa. See you tomorrow.”

“Sweet dreams, Miwa! I can’t wait!” She ended the call.

Alisa wished me sweet dreams… No, I shouldn’t read too much into it. That was just her being sweet, as she always is.

20 minutes later, I couldn’t sleep. I could barely keep my eyes closed for two seconds. I was just too excited.

I decided to call Tobio. He was still in Italy and, judging by his latest Instagram posts, Shouyou was with him. It should be around 2:45 in the afternoon for him. I dialed and thank God he answered.

In his usual stoic voice, Tobio answered, “What?”

“Is that how you talk to your older sister now, Tobio?”

He grumbled an apology then continued. “Isn’t it 11 PM for you? Why are you still up?”

“I was packing for a trip.”

“I didn’t know you were going on one.”

“Alisa kind of surprised me with a plane ticket to Russia. She wants me to come with her to this ice skating competition.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

Oh, brother. He’s as blunt as always. But, that’s exactly what I needed right now. “I just… need some advice.”

“Why me?”

“Because you’re my brother, you dork. But, if you’re busy that’s fi—”

“Wait a second.”

Tobio opens a video chat. He’s in his kitchen, and I can see Shouyou behind the counter. He calls his orange-haired boyfriend over. The latter perks up as I wave at him.

“Hey, Miwa! What’s up,” he greeted with a bright smile.

Tobio answers for me. “She’s going to Russia with Lev’s sister, the figure skater.”

“Woah, really? That’s so cool!”

I chuckle sheepishly. “Yeah. I’m pretty excited, too. Just a bit nervous.”

Shouyou looks at me quizzically. “Nervous? Why?”

Tobio shoots me an expecting look, as if he already knew the answer. To that, I roll my eyes at him. “I… I want to tell Alisa how I feel.”

I watched Tobio pinch Shouyou’s cheek while the latter tried to pry away. “Looks like you owe me a dinner date,” my brother said as he smirked triumphantly. While that was happening, I sat there, confused.

Shouyou quickly explained. “Sorry, Miwa. It’s just that Tobio and I made a bet on whether or not you liked— Tobio, quit pinching my cheek already or I’m not making you pork curry for a month— if you liked Lev’s sister.”

We give my brother a few moments to calm down. “It was already obvious, sis. Come on. The tweets, the Instagram posts, and the way you smile whenever you do her hair. I remember when I came to visit and—“

“Okay, Tobio, I get it. I’m madly in love with her and it shows.”

“So, when will you tell her,” Shouyou asked. To which I sighed.

“If all goes well, I wanted to tell her during the trip.”

“Oddly romantic for you, sis,” Tobio butts in.

Shouyou grins. “I say go for it, Miwa! The trip would be perfect! Better than how Tobio confessed.”

My brother turns to his boyfriend. “We were in second-year high school, you idiot. Did I look like I could afford to take you to Russia?”

“That’s not my point,” the ginger groaned as he rolled his eyes, “Was throwing a volleyball at my head your best idea?”

The two proceeded into one of their usual banters. I couldn’t help but laugh at the arguments they were throwing at each other. Their friends were right. These two dunderheads were perfect for each other.

Then, Shouyou finally directs the conversation back to me. He said, “If you’re sure about telling her your feelings on this trip, don’t overthink it. If you feel that the time’s right and you know you can take whatever she has to say, just do it!”

“Follow your heart, Miwa,” Tobio adds reassuringly, “You’ve always had great intuition.”

I smile warmly at them. “Thanks, you two. I guess I’ll go to sleep now. We’re meeting at the airport at seven.”

“Sleep well, sis.”

“Have fun in Russia!”

As I stare at my phone screen displaying the disconnected call message, Tobio’s words ring in my ear. _Follow your heart_. That was probably the best advice he’s ever given me so far. But, I hope it works.

I let out a huge yawn as I slipped back under the sheets. One moment, my eyes are fluttering shut. The next, my phone’s ringing incessantly on my bedside table. I reach for it and turn off the alarm, nearly missing one unread text message. It’s from Alisa.

“Good morning, Miwa,” I read out loud, “I was so excited that I woke up around 4… I hope you get to the airport safely.”

For the first time in probably my whole life, I wasn’t so bummed by having to wake up so early. This wasn’t the first time Alisa texted me in the morning, but for the first time, it wasn’t about her canceling an appointment or just confirming that she was coming for one. I feel myself smiling as I send in my reply. It’s one of those kinds of smiles that you can’t even wipe off your face. Who knew it was hard to chew your food while smiling?

Before I leave for the airport, I decided to go and check on the salon first. I told Yuuji to come early so I could give him some reminders. Turns out, I didn’t need to.

“Everything will be a-okay here, boss,” he exclaims. “Don’t worry about the salon and just have fun with Ms. Haiba! Oh, and don’t forget my souvenir!”

I wave him goodbye as I leave the salon. To my surprise, there’s a car waiting outside, and Alisa emerges from the passenger side.

“Get in, Miwa!”

“I thought I told you that you didn’t have to pick me up?”

Alisa scoffs in disbelief. “Did you really think I was letting you head to the airport alone with your huge luggage?” Then, she smiles. “Besides, it’s better if we just go there together. I won’t take no for an answer~!”

Like I could decline the offer. There was nothing I could do at that point. I wheeled my suitcases behind the car.

“Here, let me help you with that!”

A tall– very tall– man comes up beside me and opens the trunk, revealing four suitcases in varying sizes. He hoists my suitcases up and piles them on top of the others. Then, he holds his hand out towards me. I recognize him from a few of the magazines I have in the salon.

“I’m Lev, Alisa’s younger brother! It’s nice to finally meet you, Miwa!”

‘Finally’ meet me? Was Alisa talking to her brother about me?

Before I could get lost in my thoughts, I shake his hand. He has a firm grip and his large hand completely swallows mine. It would have been intimidating if he didn’t have that dorky smile on his face. It was alien compared to the serious expressions he had on in his magazine shots.

“Nice to meet you, too, uh, Lev,” I replied. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you know my name?”

Lev’s eyes slightly grow in size, just like Alisa’s do. His irises were the same green as Alisa’s. And, now that I was actually looking at him, the two shared a strong resemblance, only Alisa had softer features.

He answered, “Your brother mentioned you to us once!”

I didn’t know why I felt slightly disappointed with that answer. I guess I wasn’t significant enough for Alisa to just casually talk about with her brother.

“Oh, and Alisa keeps talking about you and how great your hairstyling skills are!”

A familiar warmth returns to my face, and it spreads across my entire body. I felt like a girl in high school talking about her crush. Alisa talked about me like I talked about her to my brother. I opened my mouth to answer, but Alisa hollers from inside the car, “Lyovochka, hurry up! Miwa and I are going to miss our flight!”

Lev and I hurriedly get inside the car. As I climb into the back seat, Alisa’s there scrolling through her phone.

“Alisa,” I ask, “Aren’t you gonna sit up front?”

“And, leave you alone here in the back?” she chides. She pats the spot beside her, giving me a cheery smile. “Hop in!”

I settle beside her. I dreaded that the ride would be awkward. Right now, I can’t even process that I’m actually sitting beside Alisa. In a car. With her brother. Going to the airport for a flight to Moscow, Russia. Luckily, Lev was the type to talk and drive.

He sparks a conversation as soon as we’re moving. “Have you been to Tokyo for hairstyling jobs, Miwa? I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

I nod. “I got hired by this company called Alistair. I think it was Alistair… That was three years ago ‘round when I’d just opened my own salon.”

“Really? I modeled under Alistair before! They’re a really great company, ” the silver-haired man exclaimed as he made a turn onto the highway, “Back when I was just starting to model, Alistair really fought to hire me.”

“Lyovochka had no trouble getting modeling gigs even as a beginner,” Alisa said, jumping into the conversation, “With his height and pretty face, he really snatched a lot of jobs! Now, he’s in almost all the national magazines here in Japan and he’s even gone abroad on international shows!”

I could see Lev’s cheeks turn a bright shade of red. “Alisa… You don’t have to say all that!”

“I know you like it when I hype you up like that,” she teased, “Oh, and speaking of international shows, I just started watching this cute Thai rom-com! Do you watch those kinds of shows, Miwa?”

From there on, the conversation went from Asian romcoms, to cats, volleyball, randomly unlocked childhood memories, and we even talked about Tobio and Shouyou at one point. In that ride that took just about less than two hours, it felt like we managed to talk about everything under the sun. But, Alisa’s hearty laughter kept ringing in my ears the entire time. She was just as bubbly as she was when she was in the salon interacting with the other customers. I thought she couldn’t be more perfect, but seeing her and her brother and how close they were, Alisa tugged at my heartstrings yet again.

When we arrived at the airport, I was reminded of a question I had meant to ask Alisa earlier. “If you don’t mind my asking, why do you have so many bags, Alisa?”

“Hmm,” she looked at me, her eyes widened just by a fraction. It’s always the expression she has whenever I ask her a question and she doesn’t answer right away. She glances at her suitcases, then points at one of the biggest. It’s yellow with a lot of cat stickers on it. “This one has my contest costumes.” Then, she points to a pink one of the same size with stickers of a brown poodle. “And, in here are my exhibition and back-up costumes!”

There are three more bags. They’re a bit smaller than the other two but still large in size. They’re all in different colors. It’s as if Alisa had the rainbow on wheels. “These other bags have my clothes, make-up, toiletries, and stuff.” She excitedly points out the stickers. “I have different stickers on all of them so I recognize them at the baggage claim! My uncle taught me that so that I didn’t have to worry about losing my luggage or mistaking someone else’s for mine.”

She wasn’t kidding when she said they had different stickers. I didn’t see duplicates of even one sticker, apart from the pink one with the poodles.

That was so cute of her.

“Alisa, I got you girls a porter!” Lev was running back to us with a porter close behind him. I had almost forgotten that he had run off immediately after we arrived. We loaded our luggage onto the porter’s cart. But, Alisa stopped us. When I asked her for anything wrong, she began fiddling with the keychains on her carry-on. Then, she attached one to each of my suitcases. One was a pair of miniature ice skating shoes and the other was a silver cat.

“That way we don’t lose your luggage,” she exclaimed before continuing her way to boarding.

I must have been standing there like a statue because Lev had to pull me back to reality. “Are you okay, Miwa,” he asked.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine… Lev,” was my dazed answer. I felt like a transparent piece of glass after Lev shot me a knowing glance. He smiled, though he didn’t say anything else and just pulled me along to catch up to his sister.

The attendants were already letting passengers board the plane. Alisa and I agreed that we should get on immediately. We checked ourselves in and were getting ready to board when Lev pulled me to the side.

“Please take care of my sister, Miwa,” he said. It felt more than just a formality, though. My hunch was right when he added, “Alisa’s a pro, but she still gets pre-show jitters every once in a while. She’ll deny it and sometimes she’ll get really stubborn when it happens.”

“Do I need to do something in particular? Like, give her meds—”

“Just be there for her. You’ll know what to do if it happens.” He winks at me cheekily before Alisa pulls him in for a hug. I let them have their little sibling farewell. I know how important that part is, after all. Finally, we board the plane.

There were a lot of people squeezed into the aisles, getting settled into seats or putting their stuff into the overhead baggage compartments. I had to keep my eyes on Alisa’s bright, silver hair to make sure I didn’t lose her, but she suddenly grabbed my hand and tugged me along. Her skin was soft and smooth, but I could feel a few calloused spots in her palm.

“Stick with me, Miwa. We’re seated at first class.”

Right. The tickets had a first-class stamp on them. I could never have afforded a single first-class seat, let alone two. I guess being a world-class figure skater could.

I returned the gesture and gripped her hand tightly. The closer we got to the front, the aisle became less and less crowded. Still, Alisa’s grip never loosened. It was only until we had to give our tickets to the flight attendant that we had to let go. The lady inspected our tickets. Once she was satisfied, she opened a small locker on the wall beside her, grabbed something that looked an awful lot like a room keycard, then handed it to Alisa. She thanked the attendant and held my hand. Again. Unlike earlier, her grip was more subtle this time and I couldn’t feel her pulling me.

I’m convinced that Alisa really has absolutely no idea what she does to me. Either that or she’s toying with me right now.

What am I thinking? Hand holding is nothing! Holding my hand is just a kind gesture. Yeah. That’s what I’ll believe. And, Alisa would never play around with someone’s emotions.

The first-class cabin looked completely alien. Instead of seats, there was just one corridor lined with what I assumed were rooms on both sides. We slowly came to a stop in front of the seventh room on the right. Alisa tapped the keycard against a metal scanner and I heard the door unlock. Then, she pulls me inside excitedly.

Inside, there were two huge seats with a divider in between that had a telephone. The seats faced a wide flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, and four airplane windows were lining the wall. It looked like a mini hotel room, more so with the warm ceiling lights. If anyone had told me this sooner, I would have been working my butt off trying to fly first class.

Alisa walked over to the farther seat and lied back. “Boarding can get so stressful sometimes,” she sighed. I quickly sat on the other seat. I didn’t want to get caught staring. Not that I could stop myself after Alisa looked at me with cute, tired eyes as she lay comfortably in her seat.

“Are you okay, Miwa? It’s probably not what you expected, but I hope you like it,” she said, mellow and obviously sleepy. I chuckled. “I definitely didn’t expect first-class to be _this_ exclusive. But, it’s great! Guess we don’t have to worry about not getting enough legroom, huh?”

“I wouldn’t want you worrying about something as trivial as that.”

She was supposed to laugh at the joke, not make my heart pound like that…

Alisa sat up and brought her legs to her chest. With her head on top of her knees, she looked at me. She was adorable with her cheek slightly squished. She smiled gently. “Thank you for agreeing to come with me, Miwa.”

God, she looked so kissable right now.

I replied, “You’re welcome. I should be thanking you though. I mean,” I scratched my nape, averting my gaze from her for a moment, “It’s not every day you get invited by a world-class figure skater to come with them to a big competition. But…” I bit my lip causing me to pause.

“But, what?”

I figured there was no harm in asking. “Why me?”

She answered almost instantly. “Because I wanted you to come. Should I have any other reason?”

“Well, not really.”

We stared at each other. Her pale skin was dusted with a light pink blush, and it wasn’t just her make-up. I’m pretty sure I was blushing pretty hard, too. But, we just sat there looking at each other. It wasn’t awkward or weird. It just felt natural.

Sadly, the moment didn’t last forever. Alisa grabbed the TV remote sitting on the divider and stretched her legs out. As she turned on the TV, she asked, “Do you wanna watch anything? They have movies and series and stuff.”

“A movie sounds nice.”

We ended up watching a mystery thriller movie. I didn’t expect Alisa to be interested in that genre. We get some food and drinks as the movie was starting. During the latter part of the movie, we were exchanging commentary and trying to guess who the killer was.

As the end credits rolled in, Alisa beamed, “I knew it all along! It was the wife who killed her husband’s brother!”

While she was rejoicing, I slumped back into my seat. We had placed bets on our suspicions and I lost. I wouldn’t have minded, but Alisa got me so hooked on the movie that I sort of got to me. “But, she seemed so innocent! She even helped with the funeral and everything,” I whined. “Go on, Alisa. Name your prize…”

“Later,” she chirped. I raised an eyebrow at her. Then, she added, “During the trip, I’ll tell you what my ‘prize’ is.”

Okay then... I was totally not curious about that.

One movie turned into two. Then, three. Then, four. After almost 8 hours of watching movies or just chatting while one played in the background, Alisa and I finally got tired of solving fictional murder cases and betting against each other. We also managed to get through 3 large bags of chips and popcorn.

We have music playing on the TV as we sat there finishing our last bag of potato chips. Alisa didn’t even want to order any more food.

“I’m gonna have to work out twice as hard to burn those off,” she whined despite pushing another piece of chip into her mouth.

I scoffed. “Alisa, you’re totally fine! It’s just for the flight.” I dig my hands into the pack in my hand, but there’s nothing inside anymore.

Alisa suddenly holds her pack out towards me and shakes it a bit, implying that she wanted me to have some. I grab a few pieces before turning away to hide my blushing face. Behind me, Alisa giggles. “We should probably clean up after ourselves,” she said, “We made quite a mess.”

“Yeah. Who knew you were such a messy eater?”

“Me? You had three bags of chips! I only had two!”

I picked up the candy wrappers scattered all over our seats and showed them to her. “I’m not the one who had a ton of Reese’s cups. And, for the record, we shared that third bag!”

For a few moments, our laughter is echoing in the room. But, we quickly finished up, throwing all the wrappers and chip bags into a trash bin. Suddenly, Alisa lets out a big yawn. Like, really big. When I look at her, she’s blushing madly and she wouldn’t meet my eyes.

I chuckled as I sat back down on my seat. “What are you embarrassed for?”

“Why do you think? I yawned so loudly!”

“And? Sure, I could basically see down to your stomach—”

“Miwa!”

I watched as her cheeks flushed an even deeper crimson. Back at the salon, I’d rarely see this side of her, let alone to this extent. I didn’t think I could love her even more.

“Just go to sleep if you need to,” I said.

“But, what about you?”

“W-What about me?”

She pouted. “If I go to sleep and you stay awake, don’t you think that would be rude?”

“Why would it be? I’d rather you rested up, You did say you were already up at four in the morning.”

Alisa stared at me like I said something crazy, but only for a split second. Then, she cleared her throat, a bit exaggerated, but I could see that her face was growing slightly red again. Was I really doing that to her? It would be great if I did… But, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I would’ve blushed, too, if she said something like that to me.

Only I was in love with her so it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Could… Should I confess to her right here, right now?

_Follow your heart._

Tobio’s words echoed in my head. No, he’s right. I should just stick with my plan.

Did I even have a plan in the first place?

Alisa wasn’t saying anything, so I added, “If you don’t want to sleep, then how about you tell me about you— your uncle! Yes, your uncle.” _That was close._ “I noticed you talk about him a lot.”

She brightens up at my proposal. She starts talking while tapping and swiping away on her phone. “My uncle’s name is Victor Nikiforov! He’s a living legend in the skating world!” She shows me a photo on Instagram with two men, smiling and showing their hands at the camera. They had golden rings on their ring fingers. One of them looked Japanese with black hair and the other had silver hair that was similar to the Haiba siblings’. She points to the latter. “That’s him! He’s actually my coach, but he’s retired now.”

Then, she points to the other man. “He’s Yuuri, Uncle Victor’s husband! He’s also another huge star in skating! He’s also my coach! Well, more like co-coach. He says all the coaching I needed, my Uncle had it covered. But, he sometimes helps me with my choreography.”

I’ve watched the videos of Alisa online. She was an incredible skater. And, no, I’m not biased. She has medals to prove that. But, there was something so touching… so emotional about her skating. The way she just glides on the ice, her graceful jumps, and how her face reflected the story of her dance, as well.

“I saw people commenting on your videos on Youtube, calling you the Ice Princess of Japan.”

“Everyone calls me that. It’s really flattering.” Her lips slowly curl into a smile, and her eyes sparkle with warmth. “I’m very grateful that they see me like that.”

Alisa sniffles. Tears were already rolling down her cheeks. I quickly give her my handkerchief. “You really love skating, don’t you.”

She nods feebly and wipes the tears off her face. Right there and then, I did what my brain was screaming for me to do.

With an arm wrapped around her shoulder, I said, “It’s amazing how passionate you are, Alisa. I… watched all of your skating videos… And, you’re incredible! Not just your performances, but you as a person… Alisa?”

She was…asleep. No wonder her breathing suddenly slowed down.

I glanced at the time on the TV. There were still roughly three hours until landing. It would probably be better if I let her sleep the rest of the way. Gently, I lay her down on my seat and I get off. Then, I pick her up. She was surprisingly light for her height. I lay her down on her own seat and pull the covers up to her shoulders. I smile down on her sleeping face. I could sneak a kiss right now… Maybe on the forehead?

No, that wouldn’t feel right.

I resign from the temptation and her hair slides from my fingertips. I walk back to my seat. “I guess I should sleep, too.”

I pull my blanket over my waist and lie down on my side, facing Alisa, and doze off. Her cute, sleeping face is the last thing I see.

We wake up to a flight attendant’s voice on the speaker. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Sheremetyevo International Airport. Local time is 12:07 PM and the temperature is 11°C.”

“We’re…here…?” A sleepy Alisa sluggishly said. She rises from her seat and stretches upward. She turns to me, her slightly tousled from sleep, and gives me a drowsy smile. I was too sleepy to feel shy, and I just smiled back.

The announcement continued, “Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you may have brought on board with you. At this time, you may use your cellular phones if you wish.”

Alisa seems to be snapping out of her sleepy trance. She grabs her phone on top of the divider. Meanwhile, I finally get up and stretch, too. I began to fold my blankets as Alisa talks to her Uncle on the phone. She tells him that we’ve just landed and, judging by Alisa’s reaction, they were already waiting for us at the airport.

I watched her walk to the door, open it, and take a peek outside. She turned to me and said, “They’re probably still letting the other classes de-board first. We can wait a few more minutes.”

I decided to open a window and look outside. There was snow lightly covering the grounds and the sunlight didn’t look too harsh for the middle of the day. “Isn’t it pretty,” Alisa swoons, suddenly appearing beside me. I smiled and answered, “Really pretty.”

_Not as pretty as you, though._

We let a few minutes go by, then we head out to the corridor. Some attendants were already there telling first-class passengers that it was okay for us to get off the plane. One of them came up to us and when she left, Alisa gave them a cheery thanks. The flight attendant walked away happier than when she approached us.

I must have been smiling at Alisa and staring because she turned to me and pouted. “What?”

I shook my head and smiled to myself, muttering, “Nothing.”

Compared to when we boarded, there weren’t any passengers left in the other cabins. After everything that happened, I finally dared to hold Alisa’s hand. She gave my hand a light squeeze in return, but I still couldn’t bring myself to look back at her.

We only let go when we got to the baggage claim area. There are a lot of people still surrounding the carousel, but it wasn’t hard to spot our luggage. Alisa’s stickered suitcases literally glared at us as soon as they rolled in sight. We got a porter to assist with her stuff, though I insisted on pulling my own.

“ALISA! ♥”

As soon as we emerge from the arrivals gateway, I hear a man call out to Alisa. Our heads turn to the source of the sound and Alisa’s already running without a second to spare, leaving me and the porter in her dust. We eventually catch up to her, though. She’s hugging her uncle tightly and they’re exchanging a few words in Russian. Meanwhile, Victor’s husband, behind him, bows curtly at me. I return the gesture.

“So, you’re the friend Alisa was talking about! Miwa Kageyama?” He was just as cheerful as his husband seemed to be, albeit a bit milder.

I smile politely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nikiforov.”

He waved his hands dismissively and replied, “You can call me Yuuri—“

Victor suddenly squeezed me and kissed my cheeks affectionately. I could hear Yuuri’s sheepish chuckling beside him. The former pulled out a photo and snapped a photo. I barely had the time to prepare myself, but thank God I was already smiling. He pocketed the phone and gave me another hug. “And, you can call me Victor~!” he exclaimed in almost-perfect Japanese, “Welcome to Russia, Miwa! You know, Alisa always said you were pretty, but she didn’t say you were stunning!”

“U-Uncle!”

I blushed and thanked him for the compliment. When I looked at Alisa, she happened to be looking at me, too. Our eyes met and we chuckled sheepishly.

“Yuuri, darling, aren’t they just so adorable~”

“Yes, darling. But, don’t you think we should get to the car already?”

Victor led the way to their car with Alisa hooked on his arm, while Yuuri and I followed right on their heels. After much insisting, Yuuri managed to snatch one of my suitcases and was pulling it along. He told me their car was parked a rather long way from the airport. I reassured him and said I didn’t mind.

“After that 11-hour flight, I could use the exercise,” I joked. It wasn’t a problem getting along with Yuuri. He was slightly soft-spoken but it did help that we were both Japanese.

“You know, this is the first time Alisa’s ever invited someone to come to her to the Worlds, besides her immediate family,” he said, “You must be really special to her.”

It felt like my heart was about to burst. I was starting to feel like maybe I did have a chance with her, after all. There was no use hiding it from Yuuri. He seemed too perceptive to not notice it anyway. I looked at Alisa, who was skipping alongside Victor and talking lively with her uncle.

“She’s special to me, too,” I mumbled. I wasn’t sure if I wanted Alisa to hear me or not. Beside me, Yuuri had a knowing smile on his face.

The two in front of us abruptly stopped, and we nearly bumped into them. The porter with the baggage cart behind me almost crashed into us, too. Victor fished inside his coat pocket and pulled out a key. With the press of a button, the blue SUV in front of us unlocked with a beep.

The four of us loaded our suitcases into the trunk, thanking the porter for his services before he wheeled an empty cart away. Then, Victor got into the driver’s seat, Yuuri was beside him, and Alisa and I climbed into the backseat.

“Miwa, Alisa mentioned you owned a hair salon. I assume you’re a hairstylist? ” Victor asked, his eyes glued to the road. I answered, “Yes. I do make-up, too.”

“What kind of people have you worked with?”

“I get hired as a personal stylist by celebrities or models.”

“Models? My nephew, Alisa’s brother, is a model! Have you worked with him?”

“Lev? Not yet, but I’d look forward to working with him.”

“Oh, you two have met? That’s wonderful! Who’s at your salon right—“

Yuuri cut Victor off before he could ask another question. “Honey, let her breathe. She’s probably still tired from the flight.” I saw the silver-haired husband pout as Yuuri turned to me and Alisa. “You two just got off a really long flight. Are you feeling jet lag or headaches?”

“I’m a-okay~!” Alisa exclaimed with two thumbs-up. “I slept on the flight! Plus I’m used to these long flights, Uncle!”

I nodded. “I don’t usually go flying, but I also slept. Thank you for your concern.”

Victor laughed. “No need to be so formal, Miwa! We’re friends, after all.” To Alisa, he said, “Should we go straight to the hotel then?”

Alisa nodded eagerly.

It only took us about 7 hours to get to Moscow where the hotel was, and that was with Victor going past the speed limit multiple times. Yuuri panicked every time Victor would speed while he was aware that there was probably traffic police around. The couple were a lively bunch for sure and 7 hours went by in a blink of an eye with all the shenanigans they cooked up during the ride.

But, what was probably the best thing to happen was Alisa singing. Back at the salon, she would sing whenever she heard a familiar song play on the radio. But hearing her sing in Russian…. I couldn’t understand a word that resonated from her throat, yet I found her singing absolutely amazing. Saying that I was mesmerized would be an understatement.

After she and her uncle finished their first duet of the car ride (there were lots, lots more that followed), I immediately jumped to praising her. She looked so bashful about it though. “Haven’t you already heard me sing before,” she asked.

“Japanese songs, yes. But, you sounded completely different just now,” I answered, “You’re an incredible singer, Alisa!”

“That’s my little prima donna,” Victor swooned in his seat.

Yuuri closed his eyes as if relishing in a memory. There was nostalgia in his voice when he said, “I remember when you and Lev sang at our wedding,” he opened his eyes and gazed lovingly at his husband who now donned a gentle smile, “You sang in both in Japanese and Russian!”

Alisa chuckled. “That was the first time I heard Lev actually speak Russian!”

“Lev doesn’t speak Russian?” I pondered curiously.

“He does now. But back then, he barely did.”

Victor cut in and said, “We’ll always appreciate how hard Lyovochka worked on nailing his pronunciation~”

“Uncle, don’t forget his vibratos!”

The two Russians burst out in hearty laughter, Yuuri and I following after Alisa started doing impressions of her brother and what I could only assume were his shaky vibratos. But, I think Alisa was making it look better than it actually did. She was too talented to sing badly on purpose.

When we finally arrived at the hotel, Moscow’s nightlife was already in full bloom. But making it more beautiful was glimpsing Alisa’s face as it basked in the golden glow of the city lights. Her hair was a stream of molten gold, her porcelain complexion honeyed beneath the city’s gleam and her eyes, God, her eyes, pristine, azure, and inviting. I could stare at them forever if she let me.

“Alright,” she beamed, “We’re finally here! I hope you’re not too tired, Miwa!”

At the mention of my name, I snap out of my trance, and we’re looking straight into each other’s eyes. “N-No… No, I’m not tired at all! So, on what floor do we stay?”

“Fourteenth,” Yuuri answered. He just finished unloading the last of Alisa’s suitcases. Meanwhile, Victor was talking to a valet. “We booked a room the other day next to yours.”

Hold on. Alisa and I… were sharing a room? Just the two of us?

“Isn’t it exciting! Like, a sleepover!” She clasped my hands and beamed at me. Her hands were warm against the cold evening air. 

I chuckled. She could get so childlike. “A stay at a five-star hotel with you for two weeks is a huge jump from a sleepover, Alisa.”

As we checked in, a bellboy came to assist us. This time, I gave them my suitcases. There was no way I was pulling those myself up fourteen floors. The lobby was enormous and slightly crowded. A massive chandelier did more than enough to illuminate the entire place. I noticed several banners, too. They all read ‘Welcome, WFSC competitors’.

“What’s WFSC stand for,” I asked Alisa.

“World Figure Skating Championships! We call it ‘Worlds’, too. It’s held every year in different countries!” She looked more than glad to inform me. She continued as we walked across the lobby. “This is actually my 5th time attending! And—” She stops quite abruptly and I almost knock her over. Suddenly, she’s pulling me horizontally across the lobby towards an austere-looking group of people.

I guess they’re her figure skating friends.

Alisa called out, and all five ladies beamed as Alisa approached before greeting her with individual hugs. After quick formalities, Alisa then gestures to me.

“Everyone, meet my friend, Miwa! She’s from Japan!”

I bow curtly at them. The nearest to me was a blonde woman with rich, beautiful dark skin. Her face was complemented by some light, gold-highlight make-up. I felt a glow of elegance from her, reflected in the way she held her martini with poise.

“Nice to meet you, Miwa.” She turned to offer her free hand. “I’m Yarah, from Brazil.”

I shook her hand. She had a surprisingly strong grip. Then, the others followed suit. I made a mental note of their names, hoping that I manage to remember them all. Yarah from Brazil, Alice from Canada, Zia from the Philippines, Eul from Korea, and Sara from Italy. They were very friendly and had such unique personalities. I’d never been able to mingle on the international scene. The pleasantries we exchanged were refreshing, but not meant to last long. Alisa and I still had to go check into our rooms after all.

Room 219 was where we were staying. Next door at 220 was Yuuri and Victor’s room.

From what I gathered from the lady at check-in, Alisa had booked something called a ‘residential suite’. I thought it just sounded extra fancy, but I was so wrong. So, so wrong.

“Alisa, are we really staying _here_ ,” I asked while gaping at the fully-furnished, almost extravagant room laid out before my eyes. To the right was a living area and on the left was a dining area with a mini kitchen/dining area. A floor-to-ceiling window on the opposite wall had the curtains open to reveal an awesome city view. On the living area side, there was one door opposite to another on the kitchen side. Another door in the kitchen was what I assumed to be the bathroom. Not to mention, the interior design was perfect. Each piece of furniture and each shade of color I was seeing were aesthetically pleasing.

Alisa giggled at my reaction. “It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? And, we’re staying here for two weeks!”

Two weeks. The amount of time I’d be staying with Alisa was only starting to sink in. I followed Alisa to the living area and watched her plop down on the large sectioned sofa. Our bags were placed neatly in one corner, hidden from sight if you stood at the doorway.

I took my place beside Alisa’s head, sighing as I pushed the jacket off my shoulders. It wasn’t so cold inside the room as it was outside. “So, when’s the actual competition again?”

Alisa’s eyes fluttered closed and a soft humming resonated from her throat. She seemed to be in deep thought. When she opened her eyes again, she answered, “Let’s see… Tomorrow’s the opening ceremony which starts around 1 PM. That’s all there is for the first day. My contest is on the second day. And, after that, we have plenty of time to watch other performances! Oh, I also—”

A knock came from the door, cutting Alisa off. She moves to get off the couch, but I stop her as I stand up. “I’ll get it,” I mutter.

Victor greets me as I open the door. “Miwa! Is Alisa still awake? Yuuri and I were heading to the conference hall for the party!”

I must’ve had a ‘what party?’ look on my face because Yuuri emerges behind his husband. “There’s a welcoming party for the skaters,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone, “Usually on the Worlds’ skaters get invited, but the organizers insisted that we join even though we’re retired.”

“Darling, that’s not it,” Victor butts in jovially, then turns to me, “It’s because, without us, that party wouldn’t be half as fun~!”

A party sounded fun. I’m sure Alisa would want to go there and have fun with her skating friends, too.

“You go on without us, uncles!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard Alisa suddenly answer. She was right behind me and I didn’t even hear her walk! I feel something snake in between my waist and arm. The next thing I knew, Alisa had casually hooked her arm around mine. She smiled at her uncles and added, “I think I’ll go to sleep early tonight, too.”

“I might do, too,” I said, smiling apologetically at Victor and Yuuri. “I’m feeling pretty tired from the entire trip.”

The couple waves goodbye as they head towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. As I close the door, Alisa doesn’t move from her spot and neither does her arm leave mine. “I thought you would have wanted to go to the party,” I said, looking at her quizzically.

Her face was really close to mine. In a split second, I took it all in. The twinkling in her eyes, the curve of her lips, the blush on her cheeks that spread to her nose and ears. She didn’t look tired at all. Then, she answered, “There’s basically a party every night anyway. Besides, we’re both tired, aren’t we?”

I feel her arm slowly slinking away, and she walks back into the living area lazily. I follow after and find her holding a suitcase’s handle. “Do you want to pick your room first, Miwa?”

I shook my head. “You go on and pick yours. I’ll have the other one.”

“All right then,” she exclaimed, “I’ll have this one!” She wheeled her biggest suitcases towards the door in the living area. Meanwhile, I grabbed two more of her suitcases and did the same.

The bedroom looked very homely. A queen-sized bed in the middle and a large curtained window facing the city. On the other side of the room were a built-in closet and a dresser, wooden but polished, lacquered, and decorated with intricately carved flora. I pushed the suitcases I had next to the two that Alisa brought in while she went back out to get the last one. 

I stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame, while Alisa started unpacking her largest suitcases. She pulled out one black garment cover from each. They must be her costumes. At that moment, my brain decided to remind me of all the videos of her that I’ve watched. For what it’s worth, I can recall that she’s worn about two dozen different costumes, and each one was unique and different from the last. In an interview, she said she always had a part in designing her costumes, so I was curious about what she was wearing for her performances in this contest.

But, I didn’t want to impose. Just as I was about to ask her about her costumes, I quickly changed the words in my head. “So… Do you want to get some dinner?”

With a giggle, Alisa clasped her hands and answered, “I was just about to suggest it! There are restaurants outside, but we can call hotel service, too. The food here is just as delicious.”

I shrugged. “I’ll go with whatever you decide.”

“I— Well, that’s going to be a problem. I wanted you to decide, Miwa.”

We stared at each other for a solid two seconds before chuckling. “O-Okay. What now then?” I said.

“On one, we choose between hotel service or restaurant?”

I nodded. Alisa raised three fingers and counted down as she put a finger down. 

“Hotel service,” we answered in unison.

Alisa playfully rolled her eyes at me. “That was easier than I thought.”

I put my hands on my waist and lightheartedly snarked, “Bold of you to assume I’m going back down from the 14th floor and go outside to eat when we can just do it here.”

The laughter that came after felt more natural than ever. It was as if Alisa and I had known each other for years. I didn’t find myself blushing when she took my hand and led me to the dining area. As I slid into the barstool and rested my chin on my hand while watching her make a service call on the hotel telephone, I didn’t even feel flustered or shy of the fact that I was watching her. 

I wasn’t overthinking anymore, but my heart would still skip a beat at every gentle, upward tug of her lips. 

God, I wish this could last forever.

We ordered some food from the menu I found in the cupboard. It was mostly Russian cuisine, but there were some international dishes, too.

“Are you sure you don’t want to get anything you’re used to,” Alisa asked. She must have thought I’d go for comfort food for the first night of our stay.

“I’m sure I won’t get to eat any of these back home, so I really wanna try them while I can. But, I guess you should pick the food since you’re more familiar.”

Dinner took about 30 minutes to get to our room. That was time that went by really fast. I put my bags into my own room, and then Alisa and I just lounged in the living area while we waited for the food.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be at the welcome party right now?”

It wasn’t me being insecure about Alisa having to spend time with me instead of with her friends. She struck me as someone who would've wanted to go to the party in the first place. Yet, she waved her hand dismissively. “I told you, I’m sure there’s gonna be another party on another night. Besides, I didn’t want you to get shocked on your first night.”

That was a rather vague statement. I raised an eyebrow at her. “Shocked how?”

“Uncle Victor can get preeeetty drunk during the welcome party, and the skaters themselves can get wild. With the trip we had, I wasn’t built to last till the end of the party.”

“How long does it even last?”

She paused to think, looking up toward the ceiling and bobbing her head left and right as she counted under her breath. “Last year, the party ended around 4 AM, or so they said.”

“No way. That would be like you just partied at a club!” To be honest, though, I was more surprised that she said it like professional skaters partying till sunrise was the most natural thing in the industry.

“Why do you think they hold the opening ceremony midday?” She chortled. “Not that I’ve ever stayed to see the parties end. I’d rather not pass out from drinking too much. My uncles, on the other hand.”

“Victor seemed pretty excited when he came to invite us, but Yuuri? Really?”

“Oh, Miwa. Believe me when I say they actually first talked to each other when Uncle Yuuri was about to collapse from vodka!”

That was way funnier than both of us expected, and I almost felt bad for laughing. We continued chatting and were in the middle of talking about our brothers when the hotel staff came with our food. We talked whilst eating our meal. Alisa had ordered a classic Russian dish called Pelmeni, traditional meat-filled dumplings, and they tasted incredible. It was too bad there were only a dozen on the one platter we ordered.

As I dumped the plates and utensils into the sink, I noticed Alisa staring at the wall clock. Her elbows were on the countertop, her dainty fingers interlaced while she rests her chin on top of them, her lips forming a small, neutral pout, and her ponytailed hair resting over her shoulder, light strands iridescent in the golden city glow in the window.

Her beauty never fails to mesmerize me.

“10:30…” She read, her voice soft and hinting at her drowsiness, “It took us. like, an hour to finish dinner, huh…”

“Do you want to go to bed now,” I asked.

She nodded, and her lips parted for a soft yawn. She got off the chair and started walking...towards me? She stopped as her feet stood a few inches away from mine. Barely in my vision, I saw her hand hesitate towards mine.

Her teeth bit down on her lower lip for a second, her hand awkwardly hovering in between us. Then, she grabbed my hands. I felt her thumbs gently caress my knuckles, but I was already lost in her gaze, staring deep into enchanting pools of green.

As she wished me good night, I could hear more than just friendliness in her voice, more than just courtesy and kindness. I couldn’t put a finger on it even as I watched her retreat to her bedroom, sparing me one last smile, her sleepy eyes softening her features even more.

Then, it was my turn to go to my room. I quietly wheeled my two suitcases in. I got ready to call it a night and before I turned the bedside lamp off, I finally realized what it was in Alisa’s voice.

Longing.

And, I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the first chapter! I hope you had fun and liked it! I'd love to get some feedback, too, since this is my first time writing something this long so please leave a comment if you can! Second chapter is in the making! <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you so much to Suo2 for beta reading this for me! Love u bestie <3 Disclaimer: I am not a skater nor have I ever been to the Worlds. The opening ceremony was taken from one of the openings for a sports meet I attended a few years ago so yeah :D Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this second chapter! Took me a while bc of mini writer blocks, but here's chapter 2 of miwalisa just pining for each other <3

The next morning, I woke up to incessant, playful knocking on my door. I turned to my side, not wanting to get up anytime soon. But, as the knocking continued, I thought it might be important and that ignoring Alisa would be extremely rude. So I tossed the thick blanket aside and put on a pair of bedroom slippers before opening the door. Normally and if that was Tobio, he’d have a pillow flying to his face in about a split second.

But, how could I get mad at pure cuteness incarnate trying to help me start my day?

Alisa stood there looking like a perfect mess, hair twirled up in a loose bun with strands effortlessly framing her gorgeous features. A few strands reached her green eyes that occasionally fluttered sleepily. And, she was wearing the cutest tank-top-and-shorts sleepwear that had cartoon cat faces all over it.

In an attempt to hide my blushing face, which felt very warm and probably made me look like a tomato, I spread my hand in front of my face as I yawned. Meanwhile, Alisa beamed at me, her smile more blinding than the rays of sunlight pouring in from the windows. She said, “Good morning! I hope I didn’t wake you up too early.”

I shook my head. “Not at all. It was about time I woke up anyway.” It was exactly half-past nine, read the conveniently placed wall clock all the way across the main room.

“Well, I already called service and asked for a breakfast platter for us. I didn’t know what coffee— Miwa?”

“Wh-What—”

I must’ve lost myself for a moment there, or maybe I was still sleepier than I thought. But, nevermind whatever that was. I didn’t even realize that my fingers were resting on her ear as if I had just tucked a lock of her hair behind it…

“Oh, sh— Alisa, I—'m sorry!” I quickly retracted my hand, and, not knowing what I should do, stood there, blushing like a dork.

Alisa’s cheeks were also dusted with deep crimson, the color greatly contrasted against her pale skin. The silence lasted about a minute or so, until she giggled. Then, I started chuckling along with her, until we were laughing like nothing super awkward just happened.

Was that normal? I hope it is.

“Y-You were saying,” I asked as I walked out the doorway, shutting it behind me.

“I didn’t know what coffee you liked, exactly…? I remember you always had a tumbler of coffee on your desk at the salon. Anyway, I got us some classic lattes. I hope that’s okay?”

She looked genuinely concerned. It was the look you’d give to someone who was sick and you were asking them if the chicken soup you made still tasted good despite how messed up their taste buds were at the moment. We got seated in the dining area, on barstools across each other. The curtains were drawn and the sunlight streamed into our room, illuminating Alisa’s form with a natural glow that only added to her beauty.

In all honesty, I could get used to the view.

“Don’t worry. I’m not picky when it comes to my coffee, but,” I looked at her teasingly, the left corner of my mouth tugging up to form a smirk, “You seem pretty observant. I never even mentioned liking coffee before, but you remember a regular tumbler on my desk?”

The blush on her cheeks that hasn’t even faded was already deepening in color yet again. “I just noticed it,” she stammered, “I wasn’t watching you! That’d be weird!”

She looked so cute with her lips pursed and eyes averted bashfully. “I’m just joking. Come on,” I chortled, “Besides, it’s not like I would mind. You’d never be weird to me, Alisa.”

Shoot. That last part kind of just slipped out. It got her to look at me, though, quizzically. Her left brow moved up towards her hairline. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Alisa? It’s Yuuri. May I come in,” came her uncle’s voice. Without a word, the beauty hopped off her stool and went to answer the door.

It looks like our breakfast service arrived, too. Following Yuuri and Alisa was one of the hotel staff pushing a cart of food into the room. He greeted us with a jovial smile and in perfect English before leaving the cart beside the counter and leaving.

Yuuri and Alisa then took their seats across me. The former was fully dressed, donning a brown turtleneck, a coat, and black dress pants. “Good morning, Yuuri,” I said. He smiled and greeted back.

“I see you ladies have just woken up. Perfect timing, really.”

Alisa turned to her uncle with a curious expression. But, Yuuri shot her an expectant gaze. Alisa suddenly sat upright, her right fist making contact with her left palm as she came to a realization. “The press con,” she exclaimed.

The ebony-haired man nodded with a gentle smile. “Victor’s still out cold. I tried my best last night, but my husband was really excited and maybe had too much to drink.” He sighed in exasperation.

“Was the party really that wild,” I asked.

Alisa giggled. “Most of the time, Uncle Victor will get really drunk and he’ll sleep in until midday the day after the welcome party. He’s supposed to be the one with me during the press con before the opening ceremony starts, but when he’s passed out most of the time, Uncle Yuuri’s been accompanying me instead.”

“And, it’s one of those times again. So, Alisa, you better get ready soon,” Yuuri reminded her, to which the skater nodded eagerly.

As Yuuri moved to leave, I stopped him. “Yuuri, why don’t you join us for breakfast? I’m sure there’s more than enough for the two of us,” I said, pertaining to me and Alisa. Although the man had no choice since his niece didn’t even let him take another step and practically dragged him back to his seat by the arm.

We ate breakfast together, clearing the platters down to the last crumb. Without ado, Alisa got to getting ready for the press con as soon as she finished. Meanwhile, Yuuri and I cleaned up. After Alisa finished showering, I followed. I couldn’t say no to Yuuri insisting that I come with them to the venue. I suggested that Victor and I could just go together since I didn’t want to be a bother during the conference. This was his response, “Victor can just come when he wakes up. It’s not my fault he had three too many glasses of alcohol.”

When Alisa told me to pack for a 2-week trip, I really had no choice but to bring almost my entire closet of clothes with me. I went back into my bedroom and quickly picked out my outfit, a simple, red, form-fitting long sleeve shirt, denim skinnies, black combat boots, and a black jacket because it was still a bit chilly outside. I had no doubts that it would be pretty cold at the rink, too.

I made sure to shower quick enough and dress up just as fast. But, when I walked out of my room, Alisa pulled me into hers, dragging me to her dresser where she sat down with her back to me. We locked eyes on our reflection in the mirror. With the most adorable puppy eyes she could give, she asked, “You’ll style my hair, right?”

My heart skipped a beat, and I was sure it nearly skipped another. I nodded with a smile. “Don’t need to ask me twice.”

It looks like Alisa had the tools already laid out for me on the dresser table. I grabbed the blow dryer first and started working, sectioning her dampened locks and drying each one thoroughly. “Did you really just bring me on this trip so that you could have a personal hairstylist,” I chided playfully.

“Well,” she giggled, “I guess you could say it’s a perk. But, I’m not that kind of person, Miwa!”

“Uh, huh~ Straight or curled?”

“Soft curls please~”

I turned the blow dryer off and picked up the curling iron next. Once again, I worked on her hair in sections. It was amazing how it managed to look and feel healthy despite the number of treatments she’s had. While winding a section around the curler, I continued our banter. “Well, then why did you bring me along if not to have a personal hairstylist  _ and _ make-up artist?”

Alisa feigned an offended expression, her display of cute pettiness on full display in the mirror. “Is that really how you think of me? Can’t I just have brought you along because I wanted to spe—”

“To what?”

“Because I wanted to!” She pouted. “Do I need any special reason?”

Somehow, that made me blush, and I cursed the fact that this time, I couldn’t hide it. That mirror was a double-edged sword, exposing me just as it did her. I quickly finished working and put down the tool in my hand.

“Are you done, Alisa?” Yuuri hollered from the living area, “We’re going to be late for the conference.”

Alisa gave me a short-lived embrace before darting out of her room, leaving me dazed by the sudden gesture. Right. That was normal already. I wasn’t supposed to be flustered about it anymore.

A quick look at the mirror proved me wrong. I was as red as a ripe cherry.

“Pull yourself together, Miwa,” I scolded myself under my breath. I looked back at my reflection with a steely gaze before leaving the room.

Despite how long we took, it was still just the three of us who headed to the venue together. Yuuri drove the car while Alisa and I sat together in the back. From about a kilometer away, there was something that caught my eye, and it wasn’t the size of the building nor its grandeur.

It was the huge head of Alisa on a tarp that seemed to hover above a rather large crowd. 

“I completely forgot about the fan situation,” Yuuri said, mildly cursing under his breath.

Alisa turned to me, put her palms together, and bowed her head. “I’m sorry! I forgot to mention it to you, too!”

With reflexes I haven’t seen from her, Alisa leaned over the front seat, reaching over to the glove compartment and pulling out a black pouch and a box of face masks. “This is Uncle Victor’s pair, but I sure he won’t mind if we borrow it.”

“What is it fo—”

“So, that Alisa’s fans won’t get a picture of you,” Yuuri answered, “But, as long as you cover your face, you don’t have to worry. Fans can get pretty extreme these days. Honestly.”

Alisa procured the expensive-looking, very stylish Ray-ban glasses from the pouch. The shades were heavily tinted that I could just barely see when she suddenly put them on me. Then, she opened the box of face masks, which were also black. She grabbed one for each of us, handing Yuuri his just as he finished parking.

“Is it okay that it’s black? Uncle Victor says the regular, blue ones clash with his outfit so he bought this kind.”

That sounded just like him. I nodded. “Exactly how extreme can your fans be, Alisa,” I asked as I put the mask on.

“They once chased Lev around the venue.” She answered as if I had just asked her about the weather today. “But,” she added, “That’s because most of my female fans are also fans of Lev. Just stick with me and don’t show your face until we get to the actual rink.”

The three of us got out of the car, and Yuuri led us towards the entrance of the sports center. Immediately, the fans started squealing and fanning over Alisa, but none of that really mattered because, apparently, our crowd control method was to hold each other’s hand.

Alisa’s hand felt extra warm in the chilly March air as she grasped mine, gentle but firm enough so that neither of us slipped from the other.

I caught a few curious murmurs underneath the squeals, screams, and shrieks. But, none of them came to approach us invasively. While Alisa stopped to give autographs to a bunch of younger-looking fans, I heard a few people behind us asking who I was, too.

One of the fans getting an autograph, a boy that looked to be about 12, pointed at me and asked, “Alisa, who are they?”

The kid was blunt, but even I was curious as to what she would answer. Not that I’d dwell upon it too much.

“She’s a really good friend of mine,” Alisa answered as she finished signing in his little notebook.

Before anyone could get the idea of asking further, Alisa thanked her fans for coming, grabbed my hand again, and pulled me through the doors of the sports center where Yuuri was waiting.

“There are skaters already at the rink, and the conference will be held as usual,” he said with an urgent tone. I felt Alisa’s hand slip from mine as she began following Yuuri further into the center. I almost reached for it, uncontrollably longing for her touch like I was starved of it, but I reminded myself that there were more important things that she should be focusing on. I took off the shades, tucked them on my shirt, and followed closely behind them.

The conference had just started and I was already seated on the bleachers when I felt a rather aggressive tapping on my shoulder. It was Victor. “I was looking all over for you,” he exclaimed as he took the empty seat behind me. “I can’t believe Yuuri left me all alone at the hotel! I was so lonely!”

I was yet to be fully acquainted with Victor, but it wasn’t as though things were awkward between us. I chuckled sheepishly as the man pouted. “He and Alisa had to hurry for the press conference.”

He mumbled something about not drinking too much next time. Then, I remembered. “Ah, your shades,” I took the pair from my shirt and held it out to him, “Alisa told me to use it earlier to cover up from her fans.”

“How about you keep it instead?”

….. What?

I looked at Victor, undoubtedly with an expression of utter dumbfoundedness. “No way I can keep these! They look super expensive.”

“Which means they’ll most definitely suit you!” He beamed with a smile that mirrored Alisa’s own. The resemblance was uncanny for an uncle and his niece. Gently, he pushed my hand back towards me. He added, “Consider it a gift, Miwa.”

“I— Thank you… Victor. But, what for? Not to be rude or anything like that.”

With a booming voice that shook the entire sports center, an announcer began the remarks for the opening ceremony. The bright lights began to dim until they softly glowed overhead the rink. Alisa was the 1st skater to be called onto the ice. At the mention of her name, the crowd cheered, accompanied by their own thunderous applause. She emerged from the edge of the rink with a spotlight cast on her. We were sitting just a few rows from the edge of the rink, and from there I could see how truly graceful Alisa was, from the effortless movement of her legs to the way her hair flowed behind her like a shining stream of moonlight. Her left hand was poised behind her back as she waved elegantly to the crowd with her right. And, even though she was wearing a tracksuit, she looked majestic.

Beside me, I spot Victor’s face soften as Alisa lands a double lutz, then stopping with a flourish and a humble bow towards the crowd. Finally, the silver-haired man answered, “For being here with Alisa. Her brother has always been with her at all her competitions. I’m not sure if they’ve mentioned it, but Alisa tends to get extremely nervous before a performance.”

He breathed in heavily. “Sometimes, Yuuri and I can calm her down, but it was always her brother who handled the situation so easily, which isn’t all strange because they’ve always been so close. When they told me he wasn’t coming this time, I was worried.” 

The look Victor gave me made way for an almost overwhelming wave of indecipherable emotion. I couldn’t put a finger as to what it was exactly, but I stayed quiet. Victor smiled reassuringly. “Alisa looked even better than I expected. There’s no other reason behind that except you, Miwa. So, thank you very much for coming.”

For a moment, I let it sink in. Does Alisa really think that of me?

There were always subtle hints for a long time now. The gazes were softer, the hugs lasted longer, the space between us was shrinking, and the smiles only kept getting sweeter. I took notice of them all. Somehow, I knew that a part of me was clinging to hope that maybe this wasn’t as one-sided as I’d made it out to be. If Alisa felt the same towards me…

I knew I couldn’t jump to conclusions. If things don’t turn out the way I hoped them to, it’ll only hurt more if I fantasize on false hope. Whatever happens on this trip, I’ll have to deal with it.

As the thoughts returned to the pits of my mind, my focus gradually returned to the opening ceremony. Several special performances were thrown in, but it was, otherwise, uneventful. It lasted about four hours, so we reunited in one of the hallways leading to the rink as soon as it was done.

Alisa and a few other competitors didn’t perform much in the ceremony, and she was looking as fresh as she did before it started. “You looked great out there,” I complimented her sheepishly. I didn’t know how else to say it without sounding the slightest bit awkward.

“Thank you! I nearly slipped a few times, but I’m glad I didn’t!”

“Really,” I raised a brow at her, “I guess it’s just different watching you in person…”

Behind us, Victor cleared his throat and announced that we were eating outside for dinner. Yuuri drove us back to the hotel, then we walked around the city for more than half an hour, trying to find a place to eat in that wasn’t too crowded. It seems as though everyone had the same idea to eat at that exact time. We settled for a seafood restaurant several blocks from the hotel.

Russians make mean sushi platters. That’s all I can say.

Finally, after an hour or so, we headed back to the hotel. Alisa and I went straight into our respective rooms to change our clothes. Then, I called Yuuji to check on him and the salon. Nothing but good news from him, thankfully. I had completely forgotten about the time zones, though, and he was half-asleep giving me somewhat of a job report.

“Was that Terushima?”

I nearly dropped my phone from Alisa suddenly sneaking up on me like that. I was sitting on the couch and didn’t even hear her coming. It was stealth that reminded me of a cat’s. As I caught my breath, Alisa plopped down beside me in her candy-themed pajamas. “Is everything alright at the salon,” she asked.

I nodded. “It wasn’t a busy day and Yuuji was basically on the desk all day, or so he says. Product deliveries came in, too,” I said, “I told him to take the day off tomorrow if no customers were gonna come.”

“Terushima’s such a hard worker! He definitely deserves a day off,” she exclaimed.

“He’s improving, to say the least.”

Alisa was texting away on her phone. Her unkempt hair still managed to look elegant as it curved over her shoulders, with strands brushing against her arm. The moonlight that poured from the window gave her an ethereal glow. She could easily be a model for a statue of a goddess even in that state.

I raised my hand to tuck the stray strands behind her ear. This time, I was aware of my actions. Likely surprised by my sudden gesture, Alisa sharply turned towards me, emerald orbs wide with curiosity. I watched as they softened, and I slowly moved my hand from her ear to her cheek. Her porcelain skin was warm to the touch. The warmth spread to my hand, then blossomed within my entire being. It reminded me of so many things at once, filling me with unexplainable nostalgia. Her eyes reflecting moonlight turned seafoam green and I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper into them with each inch that closed between us.

We were so close that I could feel her warm breath on my lips. Her own were slightly parted. Slowly, she began disappearing from view as I felt my eyelids fluttering to a close…

“Ring, ring! Nee-chan! It’s Lev! Pick up your phone! Can’t you hear that I’m calling? If you don’t answer, I–”

Alisa stammered and fumbled as she picked the call up, pivoting sharply away from me. My hand fell onto my lap. Alisa’s face was a deep scarlet all the way up to her ears and somehow I knew that she was avoiding making eye contact at the moment.

Did I mess up? Was it not the right time? Did I make things awkward between us? 

I couldn’t help myself from overthinking. If I messed up now, that would be really bad for us. I didn’t want to distract Alisa, either. I snuck a glance at her. She looked preoccupied with the phone call with her brother. Quietly, I got up and went to the dining area. From the hotel telephone, I called for room service and asked for some lavender tea.

I went back to the couch and, hesitantly, I poked Alisa’s shoulder. She looked up at me and I said, “I’m gonna talk to my brother over the phone in my room. I called for some tea.” Alisa sat there silently, seemingly intent on my every word. “Can you call me when service comes?”

She nodded and smiled gently. “Sure, Miwa.”

I retreated to my room. To be honest, calling Tobio was really just an excuse. I just needed to breathe. To think. The sensation of her cheek in my hand was still very fresh in my memory and all I could really hear right now was my heartbeat echoing in my headspace. Three minutes ago, we were lips-brushing, nose-touching,  _ breathing-the-same-air _ close. Technically, I couldn’t have gotten that close to her if Alisa didn’t want me to…

“Alisa, you’re confusing me so much and it’s not even your fault…”

I fell onto the bed with a thud and I stared at the ceiling, trying my best to keep the thoughts at bay. Complicating things would just make the situation harder to navigate. A few minutes later, Alisa came knocking at my door and hollered about the tea. 

I spotted the two cups already set on the dining table. Alisa and I sat across each other, wordlessly sipping tea, at first.

“So…” / “Um…”

My eyes widened. Hers did, too.

“You first,” I quickly said.

Alisa shook her head.

“I insist.”

“But–”

I mustered up the warmest smile I could give her at the moment. “I was just going to ask you if you liked the tea. Wasn’t sure if you’d like lavender.”

Alisa’s chuckle was gentle, like leaves rustling in a cool, spring breeze. “I haven’t had lavender tea in a while. It’s refreshing.” When the corners of her eyes scrunched up as she smiled, it was like I was seeing her for the first time again. “Thank you, Miwa.”

I took a sip from my cup before replying. “So, what was it you were gonna tell me?”

Alisa gave me a toothy grin as she held up her cup of tea. “Thank you for this.”

“O-Oh… No problem! Yeah. I thought it would help you get a good night’s sleep. For, you know, tomorrow.”

A split-second after saying that, I felt extremely stupid. That excuse was like a damn window. Luckily, Alisa didn’t say anything.

I watched her finish her tea, sighing contentedly as she gulped down the last of it. She put down her cup and stretched her arms over her head. “It’s already kicking in,” she cooed. She looked adorable even as she struggled to keep her eyes wide open. “I think I’ll head to bed. How about you, Miwa?”

“Um…” I sneaked a peek at the wall clock. It was only 8:42. “What time are we heading to the rink tomorrow,” I asked.

“Around 7:30 AM. We’re warming up and drawing lots for the performance order. It’s fine if you don’t want to come that early. I’m sure my uncles would be okay with it.”

“It would be less of a hassle if we all just go together. In that case, I’m going to sleep now, too.”

I got up from my seat and took our empty cups to the sink. While I stood there, rinsing them, I felt arms sneaking around my waist and something warm rest itself gently on my left shoulder. I froze up instantly, the vanilla scent of Alisa’s hair flooding my nostrils.

“Good night, Miwa~”

I had to stop myself from sinking into her embrace. Not yet. Though, I wished I could. To be lost in her touch would be a privilege the heavens couldn’t even afford, and that I had the sliver of a chance to. I turned my head towards her, but her head was looking away from me. I took this as a chance to sneak in a grateful smile. I dried my hands and closed my eyes as I put my hand on her head, soaking my fingers in the softness of her hair, imprinting them on my skin. 

Not that I could ever forget the sensation.

“Sweet dreams, Alisa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things were supposed to end in this chapter, but I couldn't rush things. I plan to end this fic with Chapter 3 instead! (unless...) Thank you again for reading my work and I hope you liked it! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took significantly longer than expected, but I've finally finished it! Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading! Thanks to Suo2 for beta reading for me again!

Just before I fell asleep last night, I got a text from Alisa.

‘I hope you don’t mind but I gave Uncle Yuri your phone number. Just for emergency purposes! Thanks again for tonight. Good night! <3’

It wasn’t a surprise that I had a pleasant dream that night. Alisa put a heart in her good night text! I remember drifting to sleep with a big smile on my face.

A smile that was nowhere to be seen right now.

Where do I begin? The morning started out fine. We woke up… Well, Alisa knocked on my door around half-past five, which was fine since I had set up an alarm around 5:15 anyway. I figured it would be better to wake up as early as possible so that Alisa could get to the rink early. Puffy eyes, disheveled hair, red cheeks. Alisa looked like she had literally just gotten out of bed and decided to wake me up before doing anything else.

Which was cute, in its own right, but she looked troubled despite her cheery, half-lidded smile.

“Good morning, Miwa! I hope it’s not too early for you... “

I waved my hands dismissively and told her it was alright. She sighed, relieved, and replied, “I woke up around 4 AM and I couldn’t sleep since.”

“You could have texted or called me, Alisa,” I said as I walked out of my room. “Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

I love her, yes, and I was genuinely concerned. If she didn’t get enough sleep, would she have enough energy to perform? That’s what I immediately thought. The bags under her eyes were more visible, too.

“I’m fine!”

I looked at her dubiously, and she instantly gave in. “Fine,” she whined, “I had a bad dream. Sort of.”

It took me a split-second longer to think of what to say. The only time I had to deal with someone else’s nightmares was when a 5-year-old Tobio would dream of a giant volleyball eating him.

“Do you maybe want to talk about it?”

Alisa nodded almost immediately. Comfortingly, and perhaps a bit awkwardly, I placed my hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Let’s talk on the balcony. I’m sure some fresh air can calm you down. I’ll call service for some tea.”

If this was one of those nervous episodes Lev and Victor were talking about, I didn’t want to mess up even in the tiniest way possible. I made a mental note to help Alisa relax as much as possible until she had to get ready for the day. I made a quick call for the tea, peppermint upon Alisa’s request, then we headed to the balcony.

The view we had up there was breathtaking. The city stretched out below in a sea of golden caramel with specks of the rainbow coming from all the different shops. In the distance, I could make out the ghostly silhouette of mountains that seemed to glow in the rose-pink expanse of morning twilight. The clouds overhead were illuminated in the same hue with a tinge of gray. The breeze caressed my skin, soft like a baby’s breath.

I turned to Alisa, and that’s when time stopped.

My heart gave an all too familiar flutter. I looked at her and thought that even the goddesses of the heavens must have been envious of Alisa and her beauty. At that moment, I felt the same way she first entered my salon all those months ago. That and more. In the soft pink light, Alisa seemed to glow while she stood there in awe of the city view.

Before she could catch me staring, I hurried back inside, telling her to wait as I grabbed some blankets. She looked… God, I can’t even find the correct word. Beautiful felt like an understatement. It was like I’d never seen Alisa before and I was awestruck, literally.

I smacked my forehead nice and hard with my palm to snap myself out of whatever I was in. Right now, I had to focus on making Alisa feel better. I went back to the balcony with probably one too many blanket sheets. We draped them over the chairs on the balcony and sunk into them. Alisa insisted on wrapping herself in one for the time being. While she made a human burrito out of herself, I fetched the tea and placed the tray on the coffee table.

“You can tell me about the nightmare whenever,” I said as I poured Alisa a cup of tea. The sharp scent of peppermint sapped my remaining drowsiness. I handed her the cup, which she took with two hands. “No pressure, but how bad was it?”

Pouting, Alisa slumped back into her chair. She sighed heavily. “I was skating in my dream. I leaped, but failed the landing and I landed on my elbow and dislocated my shoulder,” she answered in a rush before sipping her tea, sulking in the process.

I had to admit. That was tough. I quickly thought of what to say.

“Have you ever tripped during practice?”

“Only like a hundred times.”

“And, have you ever tripped during your actual performances?”

It took Alisa a few seconds longer to reply. “Well, not really. There were some close calls, but so far, I always seem to manage.”

“Then, you’re not going to trip this time, too.” I gently blew cold air onto my tea, the steam curling up to meet my cheeks with fragrant warmth.

Her tone coated with disbelief, Alisa asked, “How are you sure that I won’t? Accidents on the ice aren’t really a rare occurrence.”

“Because I believe in you. And, I’m sure everyone does, too.” I turned to face Alisa again. The watermelon glow of sunlight glossed over her innocent features. I smiled, wishing I could hold her at that moment. “That’s how I know.”

I heard a ping from one of our phones on the coffee table. It was Alisa’s. The table was closer to me. Naturally, I reached out to grab it and hand it to her when Alisa asked, “Can you read it for me?”

I was surprised, of course. Text messages were private. I looked at Alisa and told her it was from Yuri. She nodded, implying that I go on to read the message. I punched in her PIN as she recited it.

I clicked on the message notification and read it out loud. “Good morning, Alisa. I hope you’re up already. Victor suggests that we go to the rink extra early. Let’s grab breakfast outside together.”

A second message suddenly came. “And, good morning to Miwa, too, if she’s awake.”

Alisa hummed in response. “Uncle probably wants me to get some extra practice in.”

When I saw Alisa’s eyes glint with excitement, I knew she was back to her usual self again. Her lips, glistening in the natural light, curled up as she set the empty cup on the table. “That does make sense,” she giggled. She stood up and wriggled out of her blanket wrap while I brought the tea set back inside.

Before Alisa went into the shower, she insisted that I take a look at her costume first. As I sat on the edge of her bed, watching as she grabbed her large yellow suitcase and took one of the black garment covers inside. She pulled the covers off to reveal a  [ black and deep purple color blocked costume with long fitted sleeves, an asymmetrical "keyhole" in the front neck torso, silver-and-black sequined applique, and a side front slit ](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V7GKMPM5K4E/UsovBED2RsI/AAAAAAAA24E/jTMwScTHdoo/s1600/Kim+Yuna_FS.jpg) .

“What do you think,” she asked, beaming as she held the dress against her body.

I could have gone on about how beautiful it was and that she would undoubtedly look perfect in it. Instead, I said, “I think it’s one of your best costumes yet, Alisa! You’ll look amazing.”

Alisa grinned once more before putting the garment cover back on her costume, then hung it by the dresser. Then, she laid out her tracksuit, the same one she wore yesterday during the opening ceremony, on the bed. She walked out of the room and I followed behind her. While she headed to the bathroom, I went into my room to prepare my own clothes, brainstorming looks that would go together with Alisa’s costume. From watching her videos and of other skaters, I noticed that their makeup was minimal most of the time. I recalled Alisa’s dress, though it wasn’t really difficult considering that it was already committed to memory. I immediately thought that it called for some simple makeup. “I shouldn’t do too much to take away from the costume… Not much eyeshadow or I’ll ruin the entire look…”

Alisa came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, knocking on my open door to tell me it was my turn. After I showered and dressed up, I went into Alisa’s room. She already had her tracksuit on and was sitting in front of the dresser.

“So, what look did you cook up for me,” she sang, her eyes twinkling.

“Well, ice princess, I thought we should go with some neutral makeup and let your hair down in some loose curls.” I pushed her hair back with some hair clips, then started working on her face. “Not too dramatic or it’ll be distracting, you know?”

I never get flustered when I’m doing a client’s makeup, but can you blame me? I could feel my face warming up, then tried shaking the feeling off. I had to be professional. Yet as I began applying her foundation, I never missed the chance to admire her picturesque features. Her skin didn’t even need covering up, but without it, her face would only reflect the bright lights at the rink.

Before I began working on her eyes, Alisa pulled Yuri up on video chat. They were still in the next-door room, with Victor preening in the background.

“Hi, you two! Good to see that you’re already getting ready! We–”

In a mere second, Victor had launched himself on his husband, cutting the latter off. “Hello, Miwa! Alisa, honey, how are you feeling~?”

Alisa chuckled. “I’m fine, Uncle! I was a bit squeamish this morning, but Miwa was there to help!”

“What would we have done without Miwa,” Victor dramatically exclaimed. I wasn’t looking at the screen, but I could imagine Victor leaning heavily on Yuri for effect. I felt… flattered, but at the same time, I knew I was only doing what I knew I was supposed to.

“Honey, I might drop my phone–! A-Anyway, girls, let’s meet at the lobby later, okay? We’ll go out for breakfast and head straight to the rink, so make sure to bring your costume.”

Having finished her eyes, I pulled away from Alisa to let her see herself in the mirror. “Well,” I asked, “Your thoughts?”

“Miwa, you’re doing a great job,” Victor exclaimed, indirectly answering the question, “Alisa’s looking gorgeous!”

The silver-haired Russian began dabbing at his eyes. I wasn’t sure if he was being melodramatic, but Alisa and I both chuckled at his reaction.

“Oh, by the way, your parents called a few minutes ago,” Victor crooned, “They’re on their way here! A bit of traffic on the road, but I’m sure your mom can make it on time.”

Alisa lit up like a Christmas tree at those words. I, on the other hand, suddenly felt my chest slightly tighten, my heartbeat climbing a few paces. Her parents were coming… 

What am I thinking? They’re just doing what any parent would do, supporting their kid. That’s all. No need to feel nervous, Miwa. Pull yourself together!

“I’ll call Dad to tell them to stay safe later. We’ll see you in a bit,” Alisa said as we waved goodbye. The call ended and Alisa put her phone back down on the dresser.

I plugged in the blow dryer and started drying Alisa’s hair. “You never mentioned your parents were coming,” I said, trying not to sound awkward. Was I?

“Well, you didn’t ask,” Alisa snarked playfully.

“Haha, very funny. Hilarious. I can't stop laughing. Hahaha.” I rolled my eyes while she giggled. Then, she opened her phone and pulled up a picture of a silver-haired woman and a brunet. The former had roguish yet somehow gentle features, and the resemblance with the siblings was uncanny. Lev and Alisa didn’t exactly look like their dad. The similarity lied in the vibrant personality he seemed to be exuding in the photo. 

“My mom was a former Formula 1 driver and Dad was an engineer on her team! She retired shortly after they got married, but she was amazing!” As Alisa scrolled through more photos, I knew that her parents weren’t the average married couple. Alisa went on to tell all sorts of stories while I curled and braided her hair. It took a while. I wanted Alisa to look absolutely flawless for her performance. Not that she wasn’t already. At last, I finally completed the finishing touches on her look.

We both marveled at her reflection, although I was a bit more subtle about it. Alisa exclaimed, “This is the best I’ve ever looked in all my years of skating! Miwa, you’re a genius!”

A fuzzy feeling started blooming in my chest and it crept up to my face. I was no stranger to those types of compliments, but, coming from Alisa, it felt different.

Maybe it was the fact that I was at a loss for words at the moment, or that I was too flustered to say anything while my eyes were basically glued to her reflection. But, I took Alisa’s left hand in mine and, as I stood behind her, brought her knuckles to my lips. My own hand was shaking. I could feel my entire arm shivering with nerves, anxiety, tension, whatever name you could plaster on being nervous. 

“I had the perfect canvas,” I muttered as I let her hand down. I swear I could feel sparks between our parting fingertips. With a flushed face, Alisa smiled at me through the mirror, but not a word left her lips. Then, her phone screen flashed with a text message from Yuri, catching both of our attention.

“We should probably head down now…”

“We definitely should!”

Hastily, Alisa got out of her seat, swiping her phone off the dresser table, and grabbed her costume off the rack beside it. As she clutched the case for her skates, though, I snatched it from her. “I’ll carry this for you,” I insisted. Alisa nodded and let go of the handle.

Once we were sure that we had everything she needed, her costume, skates, and our other stuff, Alisa and I made it down to the lobby as fast as we could. Standing at the entrance were Victor and Yuri. The latter had a strained look on his face, which quickly relaxed once he saw us.

“Finally,” Yuri exclaimed, relieved, “I was worried something was wrong…”

His husband chuckled. “Honey, you’re being a worrywart. They were just taking their time.”

We walked down the hotel entrance. A valet, who was patiently waiting by Victor’s car, handed him the keys and we all headed out to the city square to eat breakfast. We settled for a small restaurant tucked behind one of the street corners.

It seemed as though we had telepathically decided that we’d eat quickly enough. All four of us simultaneously finished clearing our plates, spare for drops of sauce and pieces of basil.

“Looks like your parents just arrived at the venue, dear,” Victor chirped when he peeked at his phone. Beside me, Alisa’s face instantly lit up. Her makeup wasn’t spoiled at all.

She clasped her hands. “We better get going then!”

And, that we did. We were about a hundred meters away when I already spotted them, a silver-haired woman in a red leather jacket and a brunet in a black coat.

Fixated on the people outside, I didn’t notice the empty seat beside me.

“Alisa?!”

My heart pounded in my chest. The car was mere seconds away from a full stop and it took me two to realize that Alisa had leaped out of the car and ran towards her parents like lightning.

“She’s done that a bunch of times,” Yuri quickly said with an apologetic smile. I looked at him for a brief moment, then turned back to where Alisa was, a breath of relief escaping my lungs when I saw that she was unharmed.

The three of us remaining in the car got out, each carrying something for Alisa. Victor, unsurprisingly, ran towards his sister with the biggest smile on his face. Meanwhile, a deep, somber voice called out my name.

“Kageyama Miwa.” It was Alisa’s father. 

I was slightly nervous, for reasons I still couldn’t pinpoint. Mr. Haiba stood about five to six inches taller than me. Clearly, this was where the siblings got their height from. Yet, the loud beating in my ear slowly dulled when I saw the kind smile on the man’s face.

He exclaimed heartily, “You must be the lady Alisa’s been talking about! I heard you two get along very well!”

Alisa’s mom suddenly chimed in, a cheeky expression on her face, “ _ Very  _ well~ Hm~?”

Beside her, Alisa whined. Her cheeks were so flushed it was adorable. I simply chuckled and replied, “Alisa’s a really good friend. She even took me on this trip and won’t let me pay even half of anything.”

We all headed inside after getting acquainted. To a certain extent. The couple brazenly promised that they’d ‘hang out with us’ later that day. While the married people walked on ahead, Alisa and I slightly lagged behind.

“Your parents. They’re something, alright.”

I felt something magnetic pulling my hand towards Alisa’s. Was I imagining it?

She giggled. “They’re pretty amazing, right!”

Her expression suddenly dropped, like a light post gently flickering in the night. Alisa sighed heavily, and I finally took her hand in mine, running my thumb across her knuckle. 

“What’s wrong?”

I watched her look outside the windows, her eyes dimmed with certain loneliness. She replied, “I wish Lyovochka could have come… This is the first time he’d miss an event…” Suddenly, she turned to me. “Is that weird? I’m not a kid anymore, so maybe it is…”

I tightened my clasp on her hand and smiled reassuringly. “That’s not weird at all. It’s natural to miss your sibling. Who knows, maybe he’s going to surprise you later!”

Alisa cracked a smile. “That sounds like something he’d do.”

“But, as I was saying,” I added, “If you’re sad right now, I’m sure Lev is, too. You two support each other in everything you do, and that’s actually pretty sweet.”

From where we were, I could already hear the noises from the rink coming from the end of the hallway growing louder with each step. I was supposed to go with her parents and Victor up the stand, but Alisa's hand wasn’t letting go of mine yet.

“Aren’t you and your brother like that?”

“Psh. Not really. I come to his games when he’s in Japan. He visits me at work; sometimes, even trying to work at the front desk. But, we don’t really follow each other around the globe.”

I felt her grip tighten, her slender digits settling in between mine as we walked through the double doors. Greeting us was a cold, heavy atmosphere I didn’t fail to recognize. It was the thrill of competition.

There were already some skaters on the ice, men and women in bold, intricate, and flashy costumes. As Yuri collected Alisa’s skates from me, we finally let go of each other, but we spared each other one last smile before I followed Victor up to the stands. We sat on the second row, which was, according to Victor, the best spot to watch from...

The wait was both entertaining and grueling. I only yearned to finally watch Alisa perform, but seeing everyone else and how talented they were was also fun. Victor, the Haibas, and I shared small talk over watching Alisa warm up with the other skaters.

Needless to say, it was more fun just watching Alisa glide and look like she really was having the time of her life on the ice.

“Vitya, I remember when Alisa first saw you skate,” her mother beamed. From how much they looked alike, it was hard to believe that Victor was five years younger than his sister. To be honest, they looked like twins, and they sounded like twins, too. “She instantly asked for her own pair of skates,” she continued, “Lev did, too, but he fared better on land than ice.”

We all chuckled. Then, as if telling the story to me specifically, Mr. Haiba added, “During her first formal lesson, I had to literally peel her off the ice. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that she was addicted to skating at first, and Victor here only added fuel to the fire.”

“Well, what can I say,” Victor crooned, jokingly avoiding eye contact with his brother-in-law, “Alisa was a natural… No, a prodigy, even! But, where she is now isn’t all talent or luck. She’s poured tears, sweat, blood, and heart into her skating.

My eyes quickly searched for the princess on the ice. She was a dark flare of maroon going around the rink, gracefully zooming between the others. I could see her give out casual nods to some and even high-fiving others, all with a bright smile on her face.

“You really are perfect…”

Finally, everyone in the ice began clearing out. I watched Alisa disappear with the rest of the skaters. Meanwhile, beside me, Victor received a text message.

“Oh my…”

Me and Alisa’s parents looked on curiously.

“The lots have been drawn and Alisa’s going first.”

I was hit by a wave of worry. I tried to locate Alisa across the rink to no avail. I muttered, “Will she be okay? What if she gets nervous again?”

At that moment, I felt a slender hand grip my shoulder hard. I looked back to see Mrs. Haiba grinning at me with utmost confidence. “Alisa was the first skater on the ice during her first contest, too. If she’s done it before, she’ll ace it every time she does it again.”

I smiled back, nodding. Then, I trained my eyes on Alisa, who had just stepped back onto the ice. Her face held a steeled expression. Gone was the warm smile she had on only moments before. She looked so focused… It was like a whole different Alisa from the one this morning.

No. This  _ was _ Alisa. Calm, cool, concentrated, and ready to skate for the gold.

All around the rink, people were cheering and clapping for Alisa, but she wasn’t paying attention. When the noise died down, she was posed at the center of the rink, eyes on the ice. I felt myself move to the edge of my seat. Finally, the first few notes of the song resounded.

(A/N: For Alisa’s performance, I can actually picture her performing Yuna Kim’s free skate to ‘Adios Nonino’ during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics so here’s the  [ link ](https://youtu.be/hgXKJvTVW9g) to the video! P.S. I hope you don’t mind but I won’t go into too much detail here, so I suggest watching the video)

Alisa’s performance was the longest four minutes of my life. Each jump, leap, spin she did seemed to suck a little bit of air out of my lungs, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her for a split second. Watching her this close was…

I can’t even describe it with words. When she struck the final pose, the rink shook with thunderous applause from the audience. People shot to their feet, including me, but I felt something tug at me, pulling me away from my spot on the stands. Whatever it was, I let it take control of me. Suddenly, I was running out and towards the rink edge where I knew Alisa would be in a few moments, all while never looking away from her.

Soon, I was standing beside a rather startled Yuri. Half my brain wasn’t registering why exactly I was there, but my eyes were locked with Alisa’s. One moment, she was looking at me from across the ice, and the next, I watched as she got closer and closer.

Finally, I felt it. That sweet, sweet kiss I’d been yearning for. I had caught Alisa with one arm, using the other to break our fall. The pain on my butt was near to non-existent because all I could feel at that moment was Alisa’s cold but soft hands on my cheeks and her sweet lips on mine.

Had it been a second or a lifetime that we were sitting there on the floor?

Not that it mattered, anyway. Once we pulled away, I saw an absolutely breathtaking Alisa inches away from my face. She was panting like crazy, then started giggling like a child. “You have no idea how much I wanted to kiss you,” she said, “But, I was afraid to ruin my makeup!”

I laughed out loud, literally. But, I managed to bring my hand up to her face, caressing her cheek gently. Her eyes, so full of love, shone more beautiful than I’ve ever seen before.

“I love you, Alisa.”

After months of holding it all in, I finally confessed to the love of my life. It wasn’t the most picturesque confession I initially had in mind. We were a panting mess on the grey, grimy floor and I was pretty sure Alisa still had to get back on the ice.

But, I did it, and after that… Well, the rest is history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my work! I think this was by far my favorite. Please feel free to comment, I love reading them <3


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